Power Strips and Surge Protectors

Ever been annoyed when you go to plug something into an outlet and it just won't fit? Even when you use power strips, it can be hard to fit in all the plugs because they're all different sizes and oriented in different directions. So, I pounded the pavement to find the best options for keeping all your gadgets plugged in at once!!

Pivoting Outlets: These all have electrical outlets that rotate so you can adjust the angles to make more gadgets fit.

Adjustable Outlets: The following power strips can be adjusted in some manner to make room for all of your devices.

Quirky Pivot Power Surge Protector — $30 for 6 outlets (in black or white): Twist and turn the outlets until you get the shape you need to fit around your furniture or accommodate your gadgets.

Socket Sense Adjustable Power Strip — $30 for 6 outlets: This surge protector can expand from 13" to 18" to fit plugs, no matter what their size or shape! The outlets themselves are angled at 45 degrees to maximize usability.

Circular Outlets: The next outlets are all round in shape and don't require any pivoting or adjusting. Their circular design means they're already angled so your power plugs don't get in each other's way.

Kensington SmartSocket — $70 for 6 outlets: Comes with colored cords to wrap around your electronics so you can easily identify which port has your TV plug in it.

Kreative Power Powramid — $25 for 6 outlets (in black or white)

Cool Designs: Instead of designing outlets that adjust, these are able to hold different shaped plugs because the outlets spaced apart.

Most Popular

Electric Man — $45 for 5 outlets: This "man" is the full package — cute, versatile, and functional! "His" outlets are spread far apart, so you don't have to make any adjustments at all.

Accell PowerSquid Outlet Multiplier — $12 for 5 outlets: As on Electric Man, all the outlets are spaced far away from each other, so you don't need to do anything to keep them from bumping into each other. Fun fact: I use this on a daily basis in our lab!

Know the difference between a surge protector and a power strip? While these terms are often used interchangeably, they don't mean the same thing. Like a power strip, a surge protector gives you the ability to plug in multiple electronic devices, but it also protects your electronics from power spikes. Power spikes are very short, temporary, high increases in power caused by events like power outages, tripped circuit breakers, and short circuits. Equipment that is valuable, like computers, laptops, TVs, and home entertainment systems should be used with a surge protector. When you're shopping, look for the electric rating in Joules of energy on the box or product itself to make sure it meets your demands.

Safety Tips:

Don't plug a surge protector or power strip into an existing surge protector or power strip (aka "daisy chaining" or "piggy backing").